These Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Shells deliver bold comfort food flavor, easy weeknight appeal, and serious dinner satisfaction. Make it now!
Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Shells bring big, comforting flavor to the table, turning a classic pasta bake into a bold, crowd-pleasing dinner. If you love this kind of hearty, satisfying Pasta Dinner, you’ll also want to try the Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta and Baked Ziti for more easy weeknight favorites.
Sabrina’s Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Shells Recipe
Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Shells feel like my bold, flavor packed twist on classic stuffed pasta, loaded with smoky chorizo, zesty Mexican inspired heat, and all the comforting, crave-worthy goodness that makes an easy weeknight pasta bake so satisfying. I love serving it with Refried Beans, Roasted Broccoli, or topping it with sour cream, avocado, salsa, and green onions to bring even more Tex-Mex flavor to the table.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
- 1 pound Mexican chorizo
- 1 red onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 ounces canned diced chiles
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese , shredded (divided)
- cilantro , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta shells in a pot according to the directions on the box and drain.
- Add the chorizo and red onion to the pot on medium-high heat and brown well.
- Add the garlic, stir to cook for 30 seconds.
- Add green chiles, oregano and canned diced tomatoes cooking until it comes to a simmer.
- Stir in half the cheddar cheese until just melted.
- Scoop the mixture into the jumbo pasta shells and place into a 9×13 baking pan.
- To the pot add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and salsa on medium heat.
- Stir well and bring to a simmer, then spoon the mixture over and around the stuffed shells.
- Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake in a covered pan for 25 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
I like using either soft chorizo from a tube or hard chorizo from the meat counter, both bring great flavor to these stuffed shells. The tube style cooks down quickly and blends right into the sauce, while the hard chorizo has a deeper, richer taste but needs to be chopped into small pieces so it mixes evenly. Chorizo doesn’t typically have much fat, so I never have to drain it before adding the garlic and the rest of my ingredients, which makes the whole cooking process even easier.
Table of contents
Can this be made ahead of time?
I can easily make these stuffed shells ahead of time by assembling the entire dish right in the baking pan. If I’m refrigerating it, I cover the dish tightly and keep it chilled for up to two days. If I’m freezing it, I wrap it well to prevent freezer burn and stash it for a few months. When I’m ready to bake, I keep the foil on and pop it straight into the oven, adding about 10–15 extra minutes so the shells heat through and get bubbly.
How to Store
- Serve: This pasta can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be stored.
- Store: Wrap the casserole dish with aluminum foil or transfer the cooked shells to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat the stuffed shells in the oven or in the microwave at 30 second bursts until warmed through.
- Freeze: Cool the Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Shells completely before wrapping the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 6 months. You can reheat from frozen in an oven, covered with foil, or thaw overnight before heating.
Variations
- Sausage: You can swap the chorizo with ground Italian sausage for delicious dish without the spice. Add Taco Seasoning to give the sausage more flavor.
- Meat: If you want a heartier, meatier dish you can add ground turkey or ground pork to the chorizo. Cook the other meat first, drain the fat, and then add the chorizo until heated through.
- Sauce: Use your favorite jar of salsa for the sauce, or swap in Enchilada Sauce for a more smoky flavor. You can also swap the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste with Marinara Sauce.
- Veggies: Add veggies like frozen spinach, corn, bell peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini. If you use frozen veggies, thaw and drain them before adding. If you use fresh veggies, sauté them with garlic before adding the canned tomatoes.
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